Method of producing fertilizer and charcoal from waste organic matter



Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES an g i PATENT OFFICE 1 METHOD OF PRODUCING FERTILIZER AND CHARCOAL FROM WASTE ORGANIC MAT- TER Gustave T. Reich,

Anaheim, Calif.

No Drawing. Application October 26, 1925, Serial No. 65,039

' 5 Claims.

density of the product as well as decreasing its crushing strength. 7 g

I have discovered that the density of the desired charred product may be controlled by conlasses, Stefiens waste water or slop from distiltrolling the temperature of dehydration of the 5 leries. slop prior to the charring or retorting action. In my copending application Serial No. 599, Thus, when the molasses slop is dehydrated at filed January 5, 1925, since issued September 8, a temperature not over 120 C., it expands to 1925, Patent No. 1,552,732, there is described a only approximately double its original volume, method for treating waste organic mixtures and whereas when the molasses slop is heated t a 10 the like to manufacture fertilizer. In accordtemperature above 140 C. before the same is deance with such process, organic products, after hy ted, the material Will Dand two to five being concentrated, then retorted, to produce fertimes its original volume, whereas the use of tilizer, the process also describingcertain treattemperatures from 170 C. to 325 C. will cause ments to control the quantities of nitrogen-and the material o eXDahd approXimately our to 15 potash which will be obtained in the final prod- \t times respectively its al Volume. uct. I have also discovered that the sediment The present invention is concerned broadly termed by the neutralizat n f the distillery with the control of the retorting operation s0 s op has abihding and retarding influence po as to effectively control the physical properties of ,the expansion of the slop during the dehydrating the product. The product of the present invenor retorting operation. tion is useful as a fert il izer, for feedin hickens/ As a consequence of the above discoveries, I or as a raw material for the production of conhave provided a process adapted to produce a centrated fertilizer and industrial carbons. This charred fertilizer or charcoal having different product willbedesignated in the specification and densities as desired, and of different ushing claims by the term charred product. Dependstrength. ing upon the use to which the product is to be The prese t invention will be more ad y unput, the charred product from the retort may be sto d from a description Of a preferred P o desired in dense or light form, and the product ess of charring waste organic matter, which will may be desired in either a hard form of considnow be described: erable crushing strength, or in a form readily Waste organic matter such, for example, as pulverizable or crushable to a fine powder. cane or beet molasses slop, if desired, may be It is an object of the present invention to proprocessed in accordance with the process o my vide a method for producing charred products copending application previously referred to in from organic matter by which the density of the order t control th percentage f n n nd product can be controlled as desired and by which Potash produced in the Charred p the hardness and texture of the final product When it is desired to reduce the crushing can be brought to any desired value. strength of the charred product which will be I have discovered that when, for example, cane produ d by the process. there is then added to or beat molas slop is to be retorted to fm the molasses slop, either before or after ,concen- 40 a charred: zer or charcoal, the crushing tration, a neutralizing agent, such as caustic soda, strength can be materially decreased through the So Carbonate and the like- T agent ay neutralization of the slop before the dehydrabe added in suflicient quantities to just neutralize tion and retorting of the same. It appears that the a id s p in case a d t crushing str n th by neutralization of such molasses slop, the gums is required, or may be added in excess, approx or resins present therein are destroyed upon the ima y being used When it is desired to p retorting process, with the result that a product duce a y readily p i Product is obtained which may be more readily crushed The molasses slop, after being concentrated, is and broken up as desired. Moreover, it is found then ready to be dehydrated and retorted, for that the neutralizing of the molasses or slop which purpose the apparatus disclosed in the reprior to the retorting of the same operates to vary the expansion of the material upon the retorting, with the result that the density of the final product is also changed, that is, the addition of alkali to the slop operates to decrease the ferred to application may be employed. The dehydration of the molasses slop is preferably carried out at a temperature below that at which the molasses slop may be charred in order, when desired, to increase the density of the finished product. Thus, the dehydration of the molasses slop is carried out at a temperature of not over 140 C. since above this temperature charring of the material will take place.

Subsequent to such dehydration process, the temperature of the dehydrated material is raised to above 140 C. but not over 325 C. and the material is retorted at this temperature to drive of!" low volatile products, the temperature employed difiering in range depending upon the density desired in the final product. Temperatures of over 325 C. are not-utilized, since certain valuable constituents in the final product would thereby be driven off or destroyed.

These constituents are the nitrogen containing constituents which it is an object of the invention to convert into a form of fertilizer and hence, temperatures in excess of 325 C. substantially affect the operation of the process. The charring of the organic matter should take place at a temperature above 140 C., inasmuch as between this temperature and the temperature of 325 C., the most desirable swelling of the organic matter takes place, producing the proper characteristics in the finished product.

If it is desired to produce an intensely dense product, further molasses slop may be added to the contents of the retort during or after the completion of the retorting of the initial contents, with the result that such added material will be dehydrated and charred within the pores of the original charred product, increasing its density. It is also possible to increase the density of the charred product obtained in the retort by the addition of previously dried molasses slop to the concentrated molasses slop as it is fed into the retort. A further control over the density of the finally produced charred product may be effected by varying the pressure upon the retort; thus, the application of pressures above atmospheric pressures to the retort results in an increase in the density of the final product, whereas reduced pressures maintained on the retort during the retorting operation decrease the density of the final product.

In some cases the sediment produced by the neutralizing'of the molasses slop is removed before retorting, in order that the retarding influence of such sediment on the expansion of the slop during dehydration and retorting may be eliminated.

While the process of retorting or producing charred products from waste organic matter herein described is well suited for accomplishing the objects of the present invention, it is understood from aqueous solutions and suspensions of sacthat various modifications in the details of the process may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention includes all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of producing charred products from aqueous solutions and suspensions of saccharide nitrogenous organic matter, which comprises retorting the organic matter at a tempera- 0 ture between 140 C. and 325 C. and adding further similar organic matter to the charred product, and charring said added organic matter at a temperature between 140 C. and 325 C.

2. A method of producing charred products from 15 aqueous solutions and suspensions of saccharide nitrogenous organic matter, which comprises neutralizing the organic matter, charring the same at a temperature between 140 C. and 325 C., and adding further similar organic matter to 20 the material, then charring such further organic matter at a temperature between 140 C. and 325 C.

3. A method of producing charred products charide nitrogenous organic matter, which comprises neutralizing the organic matter, removing the organic sediment produced thereby, dehydrating the neutralized organic matter at a temperature below 125 C., then charring the same at 30 a temperature between 140 C. and 325 0., and adding further similar organic matter to the charred product and charring such further organic matter.

4. A method of producing charred products from aqueous solutions and suspensions of saccharide nitrogeneous organic matter, which comprises neutralizing the organic matter and charring the organic matter at a temperature between 140 C. and 325 C., and at a pressure substantially above atmospheric.

5. A method of producing charred products from aqueous solutions and suspensions of saccharide nitrogenous organic matter which com- 7 prises, controlling the properties of the final product by adding the neutralizing agent in varying amount to the organic matter before concentration of the liquor, then dehydrating the organic matter at a temperature not over 125 C., charring the organic matter at a temperature between 140 C. and 325 C., and feeding further similar organic matter to the charge during the charring operation.

GUSTAVE T. REICH. 

